Wallstedt of Wild leads AHL Top Prospects Team

Minnesota Wild goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedt headlined the inaugural American Hockey League Top Prospects Team, which was announced Wednesday, one day before the start of the Calder Cup Final between Coachella Valley (Seattle Kraken) and Hershey (Washington Capitals).

Wallstedt, along with defensemen David Jiricek (Columbus Blue Jackets), Simon Nemec, (New Jersey Devils), and forwards Tyson Foerster (Philadelphia Flyers), Jiri Kulich (Buffalo Sabres), and Lukas Reichel (Chicago Blackhawks) were named to the team.

Wallstedt, 20, was selected by Minnesota in the first round (No. 20) of the 2021 NHL Draft. He was 18-15-5 with Iowa of the AHL this season with a 2.68 goals-against-average and .908 save percentage. He also scored a goal into an empty net Nov. 12 in a 5-2 win at the Chicago Wolves the same game he earned his first AHL win with 37 saves. Wallstedt represented Iowa at the AHL All-Star Classic and was named the league's goaltender of the month for January when he was 6-0-0 with a 1.16 GAA and .958 save percentage.

Jiricek, 19, was selected by Columbus in the first round (No. 6) of the 2022 NHL Draft. He had 38 points (six goals, 32 assists) in 55 games with Cleveland of the AHL and played four games with the Blue Jackets this season. Jiricek led all AHL rookies with 20 power-play assists and was the league's rookie of the month in December (12 points; two goals, 10 assists). Jiricek also won a silver medal with Czechia at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship and was named the tournament's top defenseman, scoring seven points (three goals, four assists) in seven games.

Nemec, 19, was selected No. 2 by New Jersey in the 2022 draft and had 34 points (12 goals, 22 assists) in 65 games for Utica, setting an AHL record for most goals by a teenage defenseman. He had four points in six playoff games (one goal, three assists) and played for Slovakia in the 2023 WJC one year after helping them win bronze at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Foerster, 21, had 48 points (20 goals, 28 assists) in 66 games with Lehigh Valley and seven points (three goals, four assists) in eight games as a late-season callup for the Flyers this season. Selected by Philadelphia in the first round (No. 23) of the 2020 NHL Draft, Foerster led Lehigh Valley in scoring and represented them at the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic.

Kulich had 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists) in 62 games with Rochester as an 18-year-old before scoring 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in 12 playoff games as a 19-year-old. Selected by Buffalo in the first round (No. 28) of the 2022 draft, Kulich won a silver medal with Czechia at the 2023 WJC.

Reichel, 21, was selected by the Blackhawks in the first round (No. 17) of the 2020 NHL Draft and played 23 games for them this season, with 15 points (seven goals, eight assists). He had 51 points (20 goals, 31 assists) in 55 AHL games with Rockford and played in the AHL All-Star Classic.

To qualify for the AHL Top Prospects Team, skaters must have been 22 years old or younger on the first day of the regular season and must have played at least 36 regular-season games in the AHL and no more than 30 regular-season games in the NHL this season. Goalies must have been 23 or younger on opening night and have played at least 25 AHL games and no more than 20 NHL games during the regular season.